


Shattering Lives

by deanshot



Category: CW Network RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Hurt Jared Padalecki, M/M, Personality Swap, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-16 08:51:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/860266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deanshot/pseuds/deanshot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One night an evening run changed his life and that of his boyfriend’s forever. Forced to uproot and move away from everything they once knew to the very small close knit community of Cedar Falls for their safety. Everything set up ahead of their arrival by the US Marshall Service. Only the town’s sheriff knows their real identities and pledges not to tell a soul. And for three years they live their new lives happily but their world is shattered once more by an attempt on Jared’s life and anyone who stands in the way, a message written across the wall using Jared’s own blood as the ink.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shattering Lives

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta and my two alpha readers for all their help with making this story even better.

 

Chapter One

The balmy, calm night around the sleepy town of Cedar Falls is shattered by an ear piercing scream that wakes even the deepest of sleepers. People fall from their beds in search of answers; front doors open; residents walk out in their pyjamas and slippers. It’s not just any type of scream; this one is of sheer terror and pain, a scream that no-one should ever have to hear or bare witness too. Sheriff Jonah Williams is sitting at this desk when the scream shocks him into standing up, his back rigid as his ears evaluate what’s going on. Racing from the station, he jumps into his patrol car and makes his way towards the direction the sound had come from. 

Collette’s sitting at her desk typing away in the front office when the scream shocks her, stopping her completely with her fingers poised over the keyboard. She turns as she sees her boss race out the door at the horrific sound of the scream that filtered in through the gaps in the double front door. She watches as her boss races out the door and jump into the car, reversing quickly before turning right down the main road. Collette is still staring at the door, even as it closes behind the sheriff, because she’s numb. She knows something awful has just happened. 

Sheriff Williams drives safely but rapidly, his stomach in knots as he thinks about what he’s going to see when he gets there. His stomach plummets as he reaches the property. He knows who lives here, and these people are his friends. He enters the driveway only to slam on the brakes hard, sending his body forward and it’s only wearing the safety belt that prevents him from being flung through the windscreen. His mind suddenly re-registers what caused him to brake hard in the first place; there’s a body on the ground. 

Getting out of his vehicle with his side-arm drawn, he moves forward and crouches down slowly to check for a pulse. He finds none. He doesn’t know this person; they’re a stranger. His skin begins to crawl with uncertainty, so he radios in and waits for Collette to answer him. He asks for back up and for medical assistance. He gives her the address and hears her gasp because everyone knows everyone around here. That’s just how small communities work.

Jonah stands just outside the house as other cars enter the driveway behind his car. Deputies Ally Conway and Jacob Peters walk up to meet him, their guns also drawn. 

Jonah takes point and his deputies follow him, their guns aimed ahead of them in case they need to fire. They walk up the front porch steps before entering through the door. The Sheriffs’ eyes scan the area for any potential threats and find none. He keeps going, knowing his deputies are following him from the sound of their foot falls on the wooden flooring.

He’s shocked by the utter chaos he sees once he enters the premises. Furniture is toppled like it weighed nothing and there are blood splatters as well as small puddles on the floor, even some spray on the walls of the entrance way and sitting room. Oh god this does not look good for the guys he has come to know who live here. 

Venturing further into the house, his eyes keep scanning the area when he spots Jensen and Jared. They are on the floor and not moving. It takes all of his strength not to run to them, but he knows he has to make the house secure. He signals to Ally to go left and for Jacob to go right while he takes the centre, spanning out the cover the distance quicker. They find no one else on the property, but just as they all turn back towards the front door they see it on the wall. Words written in red paint…no, wait, it’s actually blood. Both Ally and Jacob turn their heads away in order to get their breathing under control so they won’t vomit and destroy the scene.

Ally turns around to face the wall and sees her boss still looking at it, his face ashen. The red letters glaring out at both of them.

‘I told you there was nowhere to hide.’

Jonah circles back to where he saw his friends and calls for the medics to come in. Once he ascertains that he can feel a strong pulse on Jensen, but a weaker one on Jared, he knows now that time is of the essence and he lets the medics get to work. 

He goes back outside and down the few steps off the porch, following the path back to the dead body. The coroner is already checking the body. He finds some bruises and one deep stab wound to the lower abdomen and knows this guy bled out and it was painful. 

He tells them that they can load up the body now and place it in the coroner van; he’ll be doing a full autopsy when they get to the hospital’s morgue. He turns back around before getting into the van to let the sheriff know that he will call him as soon as he has the autopsy completed with any evidence he finds that can help with his investigation. Jonah nods and bangs on the van’s driver side before it reverses and drives away, the tail lights visible for a few minutes before going completely out of sight.

 

By the time Jonah re-enters the property, Jensen has come too, but is still slightly groggy. Jared is slipping in an out of consciousness but mostly he’s the latter of the two, so the medics are carefully placing him onto the stretcher to be carried out to the awaiting ambulance. He knows he’ll have to ask Jared some questions when the doctors at the hospital tell him it’s okay, but first he’s going to talk to Jensen. He seems more lucid as the time passes; he’s looking around as if determining if he’s still under threat or if he’s okay. 

Once he spots Jonah, his body finally relaxes back and lets the other medic carry out the rest of his medical evaluation on him. The paramedic finishes his task and lets him know that he will still need to go to the hospital for a full check up because he doesn’t like the bruises on his chest or the way Jensen is breathing, which could indicate broken ribs. 

Jensen inquires about Jared after the medic leaves to get another stretcher to place Jensen onto. Jonah informs him that Jared is being rushed to the hospital with three deep stab wounds to his body: two in his chest and one in his lower abdomen, plus multiple lacerations on his arms which means he fought his attackers with everything he had. The medic was very optimistic and had told him that he would be seen immediately when he got to the hospital. This information calms Jensen somewhat but they both know that Jensen won’t fully rest until he knows that Jared is doing okay as he can be. 

Jonah doesn’t say anything after the paramedics inform Jensen about what has happened to Jared, but what he doesn’t say is what’s scaring the sheriff. He knows the medic is just making Jensen relax, but Jonah doesn’t like the pallor of Jared’s skin. It is very pale which is not right considering how tanned Jared’s skin usually is, but he will keep it to himself until he knows more from the doctor later when he visits the hospital. 

Jensen is just about to ask something else when the paramedic comes back in with a stretcher and a second paramedic to help him manoeuvre it back to the ambulance. Between the two of them they secure Jensen on the stretcher and have to keep informing him that it’s emergency procedure that he has to be taken in this way, in case any complications arise on the journey. He mutters to himself, but agrees because he knows everyone in this room and that they are just doing their job. 

Jonah tells Jensen that he will be down to the hospital in the daytime hours of tomorrow to ask questions about what happened tonight. He walks alongside the stretcher until it’s loaded into the back of the ambulance. He bangs on the side to let them know its okay to take off, that everything will be looked after here.

Walking back inside, he looks around again at the utter chaos that has destroyed the hallway and sitting room. He spots the forensic team combing over every piece of upturned piece of furniture, collecting samples from all the blood spatters and taking crime scene photos. From what they can see so far, it looks like a home invasion gone terribly wrong, but will know more when they analyse all the evidence they’ve gathered and taken witness statements. 

~*~

The sirens from the two ambulances blare loudly as they travel along the road to the hospital. One patient is gravely wounded and the other is thinking of who broke their trust and told someone of their location. The drivers make sure that they get there quickly but safely. Driver one calls ahead to the hospital to give them a heads up as to their ETA and how many they are bringing in.  
They drive around sharp bends and then straight sections of road until they get to the town’s main street, before pressing on the accelerator once more, gaining speed but still maintaining control of their vehicles. It takes fifteen minutes to reach the hospital but it seemed like hours. Pulling up to the ambulance bay, they reverse into the parking spaces and then everyone gets to work

Jared is moved in one direction, Jensen to another. The E.R. doctors already know that Jared has serious injuries, but most keep it from his partner in order to get working on him right away. The paramedics did as much as they could on the way here with the stab wounds on his torso. They stemmed the blood flow from the wounds, which is a good thing; blood loss at this stage would not be good for Jared’s chance at a full recovery. 

The lacerations, while there is quite a few, are not as serious as his other injuries. They have all been bandaged, so the next stop is surgery for an emergency operation.

Jared is put under anaesthesia to make sure that he will not feel anything during the surgery. 

“Okay everyone; I want you all too be ready in case something should happen during the surgery.”

“Yes doctor,” the head nurse replies. 

The surgery itself takes two full hours. The stab wounds on his chest missed both lungs and heart, and the one on his abdomen has also missed vital organs. The doctor thanks the nurses before taking leave of the operating room to fill out a report that he knows the Sheriff will need when he gets here tomorrow. Two orderlies move Jared to the recovery room to keep an eye on his progress and to make sure no complications arise. 

~*~

 

In another room down, along the white coloured corridor, Jensen is being looked after. He’s being poked and prodded by the doctor and he’s starting to get sick of it. He’s in half a mind to stab the doctor with the needle himself and see how he likes it, but he lets him continue anyway. God, he really doesn’t like needles, not per-say because of the pain, but the fact that it makes him bleed. He’s had enough happen to him and Jared tonight. Now he knows that their location has been compromised by someone in this town, Jensen is wondering who and he can’t wait to find that out. 

He knows a few hours have passed by now and is quietly wondering when Jonah will turn up to ask questions in the morning. Will it be very early or more towards the afternoon? There’s no point thinking of that now, so he just lets the doctor finish up so he can be left in peace. He knows that Jonah is the only person in town that knew about why they were here and why they needed to be hidden when they first arrived. They needed new job titles, bank accounts with money in them and new driving licences which had to be untraceable. He knows Steve got those made up so he knows the leak didn’t come from him, plus Jensen also knows that Chris and Steve will be arriving in the next day or two as is procedure when situations like this happen. 

How could he have been so stupid and complacent about their safety? They had let their guard slip and this is the outcome? For the first two years he made sure they kept a constant vigil, always making sure they weren’t followed and made sure to keep a low profile, but gradually, over the last year, they both let the tension leak out of their shoulders and began to relax and of course that’s when it all went wrong.

He’s broken out his chain of thought when the doctor starts to finish up. Jensen just barely catches him saying that as he was unconscious for a period of time, he will have to stay overnight for observation. Jensen expected this to happen, but then he has a momentary panic when he realises that Sadie is back at the house and he has no idea if the little pup is hurt. Jared would be devastated if anything has happened to her. 

They both knew that getting her was a bad idea, but she had been abandoned. A passing motorist found her on the side of the road, shivering from the cold. They brought her straight to Jared’s vet clinic, and, as they say, the rest is history. Maybe Ally found her when she went looking for evidence or clues to help with the investigation. Or maybe they’ve searched upstairs and found her, because that’s where she slept, in their room. With any luck Ally has taken her home. Jensen knows she has a soft spot for Sadie. 

 

~*~

Sheriff Williams wonders how long it will take before news of tonight’s attack reaches the other residents of his little town. It will shock them even more when they learn it’s the local vet and the English teacher that were attacked in their own home. 

Looking around once more he goes in search of his deputies. He meets Ally first as he takes the stairs to the first floor, and she’s holding a little puppy, barely a few months old. As he gets closer he realises the poor little thing is shivering most likely in fear over what must have been some horrific noises earlier on tonight. 

“Hey Al, how’s the little guy doing?”

“Hey, Sherriff. She’s terrified, but I think she’ll be okay. I’m going to take her home with me until Jensen and Jared are able to take her back; I hope that’s alright with you.”

“Of course it’s okay with me. I know Jared and Jensen will be okay with it, too, since they know how much you care for animals.”

“Thanks. Why would someone do this? I just don’t understand why someone would want to hurt Jared or Jensen. My mind is just completely boggled. I just hope we can figure out who did this and why. I want to make sure they get what’s coming to ‘em,” Ally implores as she looks up at Jonah, her eyes suspiciously wet with un-fallen tears. 

“I don’t know, Al, and we won’t kno-w more until I get to talk to Jensen. We’ll need to contact Sandy and Jeffery to let them know what’s happened. I’ll probably contact Sandy first because she’s Jared’s business partner at their clinic, which is open tomorrow, and then Jeffery because the school won’t be open until Monday. As it’s Friday he’ll have a few days to work something out with the school board.”

“Sure thing, Sherriff. I’m going to head out now if that’s okay and get Sadie somewhere nice and warm until they get out of the hospital.”

“Sure, head away. There’s not much more we can do here until everything has been sorted out and the clean up gets underway. I’ll see you on Sunday. Take the rest of Saturday off, I’ll call in Chad to cover your shift.”

“Okay boss, I’ll see you Sunday. Try to get some sleep when you get off in the morning.”

“I’m not making any promises about the sleeping part but see you on Sunday,” Jonah replies just as Ally gets up and makes her way down stairs with Sadie cradled in her arms. Jonah shakes his head as he watches her go, knowing that nobody in his quaint town will rest well when they find out what has happened here tonight. 

Going back down stairs shortly after Ally leaves, he comes across Deputy Peters helping the last remaining forensic technicians gather up their equipment and follows them as they make their way outside to their vehicle. 

Once everyone else has gone, he calls out to Peters to come back to the porch so he can ask him questions about what he noticed or whether anything look suspicious while he was monitoring the forensic team as they worked and gathered their information. 

“Something is off about this, Sheriff.”

“What do you mean?” the sheriff asks Jacob as he turns to face him on the porch.

“There was no forced entry, no major scuffling or furniture thrown around. It’s like they knew their attackers or were taken completely by surprise until they figured out what to do,” Jacob replies.

“Well from what I could see of Jared’s injuries, he put up one hell of a fight. Plus, from what I could tell, they knocked Jensen out first before going after Jared. But that’s just speculation. We still have to identify the body we found in the front garden, so I’m going to check back with the coroner’s office tomorrow and see what he knows before heading to the forensics lab,” informs Jonah. 

“Let’s hope he’s not related to anyone here, because the trust in the town will be gone before you can blink. Sometimes I wonder how people can hurt someone so much and then leave them to die,” says Jacob as he stares out across the lawn. 

“People can be crazy, simple as,” replies Jonah as he lets their conversation rest. He knows what he’s kept hidden from his deputies, the real reason why Jared and Jensen showed up here three years ago. He also hopes that his deputies will forgive him for keeping the information for his eyes only, but then again that’s what he was told by people higher up than him.

He only hopes that Jared will pull through from the injuries he sustained in the attack on his life and that he won’t have any lingering complications from said injuries. He’s seen a lot of serious injuries before and Jared’s topped it, 100 per cent and Jensen getting hurt as well only makes this worse. He tried to keep it professional when he was with them because he knew that they knew he was the only one who knew about them being in Wit Pro. All he knows of their background is that they were highly trained specialists who witnessed something and needed to go into hiding. But eventually they all became friends, even going around to each other’s houses for barbecues in the summer and parties in the winter months. 

~*~

Once Jonah and Jacob have the property secured with the yellow do not enter tape, they leave in opposite directions; Jacob going home to get some sleep while Jonah heads back to the station to fill out the report of the nights proceedings. Driving back takes ten minutes, that’s how small the town is, one main road where all the business are and then people’s homes are either above their business or located five more minutes down the road. The house where he just came from is just on the outskirts of their town, but still part of the community. 

He’s known Jensen and Jared since they moved here four years ago. He didn’t care that they were a couple; all that mattered to him was that they were law-abiding citizens. Jared opened up a vet clinic, very popular; visitors have come from quite far just to see him. His reputation is that good. Jensen works at the local school as a teacher. He teaches woodwork to the local children, plus children from the neighbouring town twenty miles away. He also does his own furniture pieces, one of a kind, to be exact. 

It’s amazing how quickly they settled in with everyone accepting them as one of their own. But why them? Is it something from their past or has someone a grudge against them, of all people? Someone here must not be who they appear to be. It’s the only logical reason Jonah can come up with. Of course he also has to think about someone finding out where they were when they went into hiding three years ago. 

“All these scenarios are screwing with my brain,” Jonah says to himself rubbing at his temples to ease the tension. He sits at his desk to try an fill out this damn incident report, but he realises he can’t because he has to interview Jared and Jensen, so he leaves it on the to-do pile he has on his desk and goes in search of coffee. Collette has already gone home. Her shift ended an hour ago and she was reluctant to leave but, he told her everything would be alright, that they would get to the bottom of this. Hopefully it would be before the end of the following week. 

Jonah finally got up from his desk and went to the coffee machine. He needs it. It is a stupid addiction but at least it was only caffeine he was addicted too. Filling up his mug with a fresh brew, he walks over to the window and stares out. Sunlight was making an appearance over the horizon, spattering of gold hues breaking the night sky, slowly warming up the land as it began to rise. Rubbing his eyes, he tells himself that everything is going to be okay. But how could he be the only one that knows the secret of Jared and Jensen’s arrival to his little town? Whoever attacked them tonight also knows them, so he knows that he would have to call their handler in Wit Pro and Special Agent Chris Kane was going to be pissed, as he was their friend of many years. 

~*~

Ally arrived at the station at 09:00 for her shift, and she wasn’t surprised when she spotted the sheriff’s car parked out front. She knew deep down last night that he wouldn’t have had any rest yet, so she was going to make him take some today, and she wasn’t taking no for an answer. Bracing herself for his reply she entered the building and headed towards his office but stopped short of opening it when she heard his voice. She guessed instantly that he was on the phone, so she stayed right outside the door, trying not to eavesdrop but unable to stop herself. He sounded stressed over whatever was being said to him over the phone. 

It sounded serious from what she could hear of Jonah’s part of the conversation, which was kind of annoying. She wanted to know who he was talking to, so she stood there, listening at the door, hoping to find out who Jonah was talking to.

Jonah cursed down the phone at Kane when he accused him of ratting out the location of Jensen and Jared. 

“God damn you, Chris. I didn’t tell anyone about their location, my own deputies don’t even know who Jensen and Jared really are,” Jonah shouted down the line.

“Then who the fuck did, Sheriff? We need to figure out who it was then. Anyway, I’ll be on the first flight out of here tomorrow morning, so you can expect me and my partner Steve there by the afternoon at the earliest,” Chris replied. 

“Look, I gotta hang up, someone is outside the office door, probably Ally and before you say anything I know she wouldn’t say a word to anyone. Out of everyone in the town she is the one I trust with my life, that I can assure you of.”

“Calm down Jonah. I already looked into your deputies and Ally is already off my suspect list. Not sure about your other deputy yet. I did not mean to offend you in any way, it’s just I’m shocked about them being found because it’s been three quiet years for them, with no problems and then bam! Both of them are in hospital and Jared’s probably fighting to stay alive at this very moment.”

“Chris, I would know if something more serious had happened with Jared and Jensen while they were at the hospital. I made sure the medics knew to inform the doctor that I was to be called immediately if anything had happened.”

“Okay that’s good. I’ll say goodbye now. See you tomorrow,” Chris said.

“Yes, see you tomorrow. I’ll be at the station after I’ve finished visiting the hospital to see them. And Chris, there’s one more thing I forgot to tell you when we found them at their house. We also found writing on the wall which we think was written in Jared’s blood. The words were ‘I told you there was no where to hide,” Jonah replied waiting a few more minutes while he heard Chris’s reply and thankfully he had pulled the receiver from his ear before Chris let out a sting of expletive. Once Chris got the words out, he said goodbye once more and hung up.

Jonah turns back towards his desk and puts the handset back in the cradle. He paused for a few minutes, giving himself time to recompose himself before calling out to Ally who he knows is eavesdropping in the hallway. Something he would have done in her shoes. He shakes his head once before opening his mouth to speak.

“Come in Ally, I know you’re out there,” Jonah called out. 

The door opens with a slight squeak as Ally enters the room, her face red with embarrassment at having being caught listening outside the door. Jonah smirks when he sees her face knowing full well how embarrassed she is. He just motions to her to come in further and close the door behind her. 

She sits down on the chair in front of his desk and waits for him to say something, hoping that he’ll tell her about everything that is going on and about what was said on the phone. She tries to keep her breathing steady, but with each passing moment of tense silence it begins to quicken and she knows she’ll have to say something if he doesn’t. 

 

Chapter Two

Slowly Chris puts down his phone, sits back in his chair and rubs a hand over his face. Picking up his cell phone, he dials a number he knows off by heart, and within two rings it’s answered. He smiles slightly when he hears the muffled voice. He knows he just woke Steve up and he doesn’t sound pleased about it, but he knows he’ll be forgiven when he tells him why he woke him up in the first place. He doesn’t want to do it over the phone, though because he doesn’t know who he can trust here, but he trusts Steve with every fibre of his being. 

“Hey, Steve. Sorry for waking you up, but it’s important. Can you meet me at our favourite place in twenty minutes?” asks Chris.

“Hey. Don’t worry about it. It must be important for you to ring me when you know I was sleeping. I should be able to get there in twenty minutes. Did something happen?”

“I don’t want to talk about it over the phone; I want to wait until we meet.”

“Okay then, just let me have a quick shower and then get dressed and I should be there as soon as I can. Talk soon okay.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Finishing his phone call, he hangs up and gets up from his seat. He makes sure he has his sidearm before leaving the office. He’s not taking any chances now, not anymore. Going down in the elevator feels like days but he knows it’s only a matter of minutes. He’s just tense and he can’t help it. Jensen and Jared have been his friends for years. They all grew up together, and Steve became a part of their group in their early teens and they all clicked. 

Upon reaching his jeep, he looks around to make sure that he’s not being watched and once he’s satisfied that he isn’t, he gets in and drives off. Changing his route just to be sure, he can find their place no matter which direction he takes. As Chris drives along the city streets, his mind is going through a list of people in his head of who could have betrayed them. People at the department, and of course the townsfolk of Cedar Falls. 

While he drives, his mind wanders back to that faithful day when everything changed. Nobody expected the outcome.

It started like any other day, with heading into the office early to beat the morning rush into the city of New York, to tackle the pile of folders on his desk, checking them and sorting them. Most of the files were of fellow agents, but there were some files that were of people who had been relocated for various reasons. Of course names and locations were blackened for safety reasons, as nobody wanted them falling into the wrong hands. 

_Little did Chris know that by eleven pm that night, he would be arranging brand new identities for two of his closest friends and also having to relocate them somewhere they weren’t known or recognised._

_That evening Jared went for a late run, something he didn’t normally do but he had felt he needed it. Heading down to the nearby park that he loved, he started making his way around the path, some parts shadowy and some parts bright with flood lighting. He was halfway along the route when he spotted a girl ahead of him; she was jogging at a steady pace when out of the blue she was grabbed from the side, a hand over her mouth to stop her terrified screams as she was tackled to the ground. Jared spotted a quick flash of silver and before he could even move a step, the flash of silver pierced through the girls’ abdomen and then her chest before the attacker slashed her throat, snuffing out her little chance at survival._

_But he could tell the attacker wasn’t finished. They were lifting up the girl’s top, and then his arm started moving in a delicate pattern as if he was writing something. Jared didn’t want to know what as he was already feeling sick at that point._

_Before Jared could even contemplate moving or to turning around to get away, a twig snapped under his foot. Jared cursed silently because he knew without a doubt that the killer had heard the sound, and sure enough, when he let his gaze drop back to the horrific scene, the man was looking in his direction and for once Jared was glad he was in the shaded part of the path. Or so he thought. Little did he know that his outfit would be the clincher._

_Jared could see the attacker plain as day, as he was under the florescent lighting. Jared stood there motionless until the killer moved towards him. It was what Jared needed to get his feet moving in the opposite direction. He ran as fast he could, just his once thanking his parents for his tall genes, because it helped his feet eat the pavement as he ran all the way back to the townhouse he shared with Jensen._

_As soon as he arrived back home, Jensen turned his head away from the TV and knew instantly that something had happened by the look of sheer fear on Jared’s face. He got up from the sofa immediately and went over to him and placed his hands on Jared’s face making sure that he wasn’t going to pass out or anything before moving him to the sofa. Jensen helped him sit down before going into the kitchen to get a glass of cold water._

_Once Jared’s breathing had returned to normal, Jensen asked him what happened and it took an extra ten minutes to coax it out of him. As Jared retold the last hour’s events, Jensen was shocked but quickly grabbed the phone and called Chris, telling him to come over immediately because Jared had witnessed a terrible crime._

_By now the girls’ body would have been found and been identified. They would find out only when Chris told them twenty minutes later when he arrived at their door. When Chris knocked on the door, Jensen let him in and led him to the sitting room were Jared still was._

_“Hey, Jen. Jay. Can one of you tell me what happened tonight?” Chris asked as he took a seat across from them._

_Jared told Chris what he had seen and what made him run._

_“Yeah, I just heard on the radio that a young girl’s body was found in the park. Only law enforcement knows her identity and I’m going to tell both of you now. She’s the daughter of a Foreign Diplomat, her name is Bridgette Olson, and her father is Patrick Olson. He’s a Diplomat from France. This wasn’t a random attack; she was targeted. Why, we don’t know yet.”_

_Jared’s face turned paler, almost sickly white. He knew it was just from the shock, and when Chris saw his colour he asked Jensen to make them some coffee which all three of them needed right about now. Just as they started sipping from their mugs, the sitting room windows shattered into a million pieces, glass flying everywhere. The three of them hit the ground quickly, coffee mugs thrown aside for their safety, instincts and training kicking in straight away._

_Chris ordered the two of them to stay put while he searched the perimeter. He came back in ten minutes later saying that whoever smashed in the window was long gone. He took out his cell phone and made three phone calls; one to Steve, his partner, the second to the local PD and the third to the clean up unit of their department._

_As their heart rates started to slow down, Jared spotted something in the corner near the shattered window. Getting up from the floor carefully, making sure he didn’t touch any class and making sure there was no threat still around, he reached down and picked up the object. He turned it over in his hand, and when he did so, his face lost all colour and he stood there motionless, his eyes transfixed on his hand. He didn’t even realise Jensen had moved until he felt his arms surround his chest from behind._

_Turning his head to look back at Jensen with fear in his eyes, he showed the object to him and Jensen let his gaze fall down from Jared’s hazel-green eyes to his hand and he let out a gasp followed by the words ‘holy shit’._

_“You think you’re safe, Padalecki. Think again, you and your partner will suffer a great deal. I know where you live, you can’t hide, and WE will always find you.”_

_Chris comes over to them when he hears Jensen’s curse and takes the message from them. He makes sure that he’s wearing gloves; the object has already been contaminated with Jared’s prints so they don’t need anyone else’s. The team passes him a clear plastic bag used for collecting evidence and he places it inside._

_The quietness shocks them a little when the team leaves, having gathered all the evidence they could, which include photos of the scene and statements from everyone who was present when the incident occurred. As they leave, Steve enters the front door with two briefcases and Jensen and Jared both know what that means. Their lives are going to change dramatically; new identifications for both of them including driving licenses, new town and new house which was a shame really since they’d finally made their current feel like home._

_Steve knew he couldn’t change their first names as he didn’t think they’d be able to stop calling each other by the shortened versions, so changed surnames it had to be. For Jensen, his surname was now O’ Brien so in full it read Jensen O’ Brien and for Jared his name would now be Jared Summers. Jared rolled his eyes when he heard his but Jensen was not impressed, as a massive scowl was etched across his face. Jared was trying very hard not to giggle which he was kind of failing at, but he still managed to school his face to nonchalant when Jensen looked over at him. He was very proud of the fact._

_“O’ Brien? Seriously, Steve? Could you have picked a more serious name for me, like Michaels or Smith?” complained Jensen even as his left eyebrow moved into a arced position._

_“You’ll get over it if you want to be safe from now on. Just grin and bear it,” Steve replied back with a smirk etched across his face._

_Jared completely stopped his barely contained giggles when Steve had told Jensen that this was for real now. He was the reason that this was all happening in the first place; wrong place at the wrong time. But before he could open his mouth to apologise, Steve jumped in first quickly, cutting off Jared’s attempts._

_“Jayman, don’t even start with apologising. It’s not your fault and Chris and I both know it and so does Jensen. We only want both of you to be safe now, okay?” Steve smiled to put Jared at ease._

_It slightly worked at least since Jared nodded his head and he smiled attentively. Steve had also transferred cash from their old separate accounts into their new ones. He gave them their visa debit cards as well as setting up their careers for them; Jared’s new position was a vet and he would be running a local vet clinic where he would have a nurse already situated in the building._

_Jensen’s will be a high school teacher who specialised it carpentry. He would also be making custom pieces of furniture for people who would welcome the service he would be providing. They were lucky that this wasn’t going to be extremely hard to fake as they done this type of work previously, before getting their jobs in law enforcement respectively. They’d both wanted a change, something more adventurous but boy had they got it now._

_For the next two days straight, they had packed what they could, before they headed to Cedar Falls, Wyoming which they only found out about the morning they were leaving. Chris, Steve and the town’s local Sherriff whose name was Jonah Williams were the only people who knew their real story. No one thought for one second that three years later it would all come crashing down._

~*~

Once Chris reaches the place he knew so well, he double checks to make sure that no one was following him before getting out and walking along a small dirt path until he comes to a break in the trees. A small creek ran through this part but was always nicely shaded by the surrounding trees which provided a canopy from the vicious daytime heat. He breathes a sigh of relief when he spots Steve sitting on the large boulder that dominates a part of the creek. The creek below is deep here, caused by the sheer size of the rock itself. Many a summer day were spent here when they were growing up. All four of them used to spend countless summer days in this location alone. 

He knew the instant Steve saw him because he quickly climbs down and envelopes Chris in a bone-crushing hug, not letting go until he is satisfied that he is ok. 

“What has happened Chris? It didn’t sound good on the phone.”

“It’s Jensen and Jared. They’ve been found and they were attacked. Jonah called me a while ago and I rang you straight afterwards to meet up here. I can’t believe that this has happened. He said that Jared was brought to the hospital, 3 stab wounds to his upper torso and multiple lacerations on his arms. Jensen, they believe, has a concussion.” The words are pouring out of Chris’s mouth and he only takes a breath when he finishes. 

“Jesus H Christ, how did this happen? We have a traitor in our midst and we have to find out who that person is or Jared and Jensen will never be safe,” implores Steve, vehemently. 

“I definitely think we have a traitor. I told Jonah we would be there tomorrow. I already booked our flights out there, hope you don’t mind,” Chris asked looking sheepish at his compulsion to book Steve’s flight also. 

“Of course not, you idiot. We have to find out who is behind this betrayal and we’ll have to quickly if we want them both to be around by the end of next week.”

“I know we do Steve, hence why we’re going to Cedar Falls. Three quiet years and now this. I just hope that Jared will pull through from his injuries.”

“He’s tougher than we think, he’ll pull through. I know it deep down in my gut. Let’s head home and pack a bag each then. We’re going to be there until this is sorted,” Steve replied.

Chris nodded his assent and they broke apart heading for their separate vehicles. They had decided that going home straight away was the best option as neither of them wanted to go back to the office. Once inside home, they put their guns away safely, but in easy reach. 

Steve goes to their bedroom and grabbed two medium sized cases, placing them both on the bed. He packs his own first, making sure to have enough clothes and boxers to last at seven days, and then he packs the same for Chris. He also makes sure that any liquids they are taking were small enough just to be safe; anything else could be bought when they arrived in Cedar Falls. When the bags were packed he went to the wardrobe and kneeled down to the safe which was embedded in the floor itself and unlocked it, taking out their passports and travel insurance. 

He comes back to the bed and grabs the bags and heads back downstairs, placing them at the front door before heading back to the sitting room to hand Chris his passport. He also grabs their laptops and places them in the bags. 

“Let’s have something to eat before the late flight tonight. Well I’m guessing it’s the late one anyway,” Steve says.

“Yeah, it’s the late flight tonight. It was the last available flight out tonight with it being a Saturday, so I figured we could look around in the morning after we check in somewhere and get a proper scope of the place before meeting up with Jonah in the afternoon. We could also call in to the hospital ourselves so we can see that they’re both okay with our own eyes,” Chris replies before flicking on the TV just to have some background noise. 

Steve nods his head in reply. He knows that they need to talk to Jensen too see if he remembered anything from the attack. 

Turning around he heads for their kitchen and starts to cook their dinner. Something quick, but it had to be tasty, and then a beer. They needed liquor to settle their nerves for a while at least. 

After finishing their dinner, they settle on the sofa and drink their ice cold beers, each of their minds mulling over at who could be the traitor and if they could be stopped. Neither of them wants to consider the alternative. Some time had passed by, because the next thing Steve knows is the feeling of a hand on his shoulder shaking him. Opening his eyes he realises that he had fallen asleep and that Chris is waking him up. 

Looking up, he sees Chris smile at him before telling him that it was time to go. He has a taxi booked and that it is on its way. On hearing, this Steve drags his body of the sofa and stands up. His back pops immediately and goes to get his jacket before heading for the door. Chris follows his idea and grabs his own jacket and joins him. 

They both hear the car horn, so they each pick up their bags and head out; Chris locks the door behind him. He follows Steve down to the curb and waits for Steve to get in. He smiles briefly before getting into the car beside him and once in the backseat he rattles off their destination. The taxi moves off instantly once their seatbelts are in place and head for the airport.

In no time at all, the taxi pulls up at the terminal and waits while he collects his fare and his passengers disembark. Following a speedy check-in and security check, they board the plane and find their seats. Chris made sure that the seats were together; he needs Steve close to keep him grounded. Placing their laptop bags in the over head locker, they settle into their seats and Chris check the time and sees that there is at least fifteen minutes until take off, so he pulls out his phone and checks his messages. Seeing none, he fires a quick text off to Jonah informing him that they are about to take off.

Relaxing back into his seat once he turns off and puts away his phone, he starts to brace himself for take-off. He turns his head and finds Steve looking at him with a soft knowing smile on his face. Chris’s face heats up instantly, but he would so totally deny that he ever blushed. Steve’s smile gets bigger because he knows what Chris was thinking, but instead of saying anything, he just reaches for Chris’s hand and holds it. 

Without even realising it, the plane was in the air and beginning its turn to find its levelling off height. Chris laughs lightly to himself, tilting his seat back into a more comfortable position. He closes his eyes to get some shut eye, because once they land he doesn’t know how much sleep he would he get over the coming days. 

~*~  
Chris slept pretty much the entire flight, only waking up when the cabin crew came by his seat to inform him that they were beginning their descent and would he kindly put his seat back into the upright position. He did so immediately and looked over to Steve who was doing the same. He was glad that both of them had managed to get some shut eye. Rubbing his eyes a bit more, he finally became more alert.

Thankfully the landing went smoother than Chris had anticipated and they waited patiently for the door to the aircraft to open. The seatbelt sign was turned off before getting up and collecting their belongings. They exited the plane and were soon on their way out of the airport.

“Shit, I forgot to make arrangements for a car to be ready for when we landed. I’m such a fucking idiot,” whined Chris.

“Hey, it’s okay, Chris. Calm down. I booked one while you were talking to the B&B last night. I texted a trusted contact for them to arrange a car for us at the rental facility here at Cedar Falls airport,” explained Steve as he placed his hand on Chris’s shoulder to soothe him and it had the desired effect as he felt his shoulders relax. 

“Jesus Steve, I’d be lost without you man, that’s for sure,” smiled Chris before they continued making their way towards the exit, not realising that they were being watched their entire way towards the main exit, or that the man flicked open his phone and spoke into the receiver. 

Chapter Three

“The cavalry has arrived and don’t worry, I know I must not prolong his existence any longer. It’s time to exterminate him once and for all and anyone else who gets in my way,” the man smiled evilly as he shut his phone, looking forward to seeing his dead hazel-green eyes, no longer bright and full of life. 

He followed them out, but maintained his distance and got into his vehicle before heading back to the town of Cedar Falls. The airport was located ten minutes drive from the town and it was used by four of their surrounding neighbours scattered between twenty and thirty miles away. He couldn’t wait to tell his brother that had gotten rid of that pesky witness. Pulling away from the curb, he grinned before starting to whistle as he drove back to his house before his shift began a few hours later. 

God, how he hated putting on fake smiles and being friendly towards the giant fucker and his boyfriend. But, it wouldn’t be too long now and it will all be over. He was looking forward to it. His current boss and co-workers won’t know what hit them. He loathed working next to these lower class people. 

Since the guy was in the hospital still, it would be the perfect opportunity, as no one would suspect him and neither would Jared since he was a respectful citizen of Cedar Falls. This was going to so good, but he would need time to plan it just right. He continued whistling the tune getting merrier by the second. 

Pulling into his driveway, he exited the car and made his way indoors, needing a fresh shower even though he had one already, but he had to keep up this act until it wasn’t needed anymore. His shift started at ten so he had a few hours to catch up on some sleep before having to wear that godforsaken uniform. It totally clashed with his blue eyes, but it couldn’t be helped. He hated working whatever the day, but he especially hated the weekends. But maybe he could use this time to his advantage. 

He could slip away, pretend to be on an emergency call out and head over to the hospital. He was thinking of using a pillow this time, since it would muffle any sounds, and, with Jared’s weakened state, it seemed like a good idea. He was coming to his final decision that this would be the plan. 

His alarm clock blared loudly, waking him from a great dream where Jared was lying dead in the morgue. The smile left his face when he realised where he was and that it had just been a very vivid dream. 

Getting back up, he went in to the bathroom and relieved himself before washing his hands and then brushing his teeth. He gritted his teeth as he pulled on the brown shirt and matching pants before putting on his generic black shoes. He went before going and made some coffee with three sugars and a dollop of milk.

He locked the front door before turning and heading to his patrol car. Of course he would have to continue the false smiles and niceness, but he could endure it for a while longer. The goons he hired to take care of the job last night failed in their task. It was plain to see that using knives failed epically. He thought it would have been taken care of quick and easy, but he should have known that they would have managed to fight back. So, he decided he was taking charge from now on and he knew he wouldn’t fail. 

Parking the car outside the front entrance in the reserved parking spots for work vehicles, he turned off the engine and he got out of it gingerly. He didn’t want to appear too eager and made his way indoors. 

“Hey Collette, how are you today?” he asked being polite even though his stomach churned as he did so.

“I suppose I’m okay, Frankie. Thanks for asking. Just shocked over what happened to Jared and Jensen last night. It’s such a horrible thing to have happened to two lovely guys like them, you know?” replied Collette, not realising that she was pissing the guy off. 

“Oh, I know. It’s shocking alright that this could have happened in our town,” he responded just barely keeping the sarcasm and bile back as he spoke, patting her shoulder lightly as he passed heading to his desk and turning on his computer to do his mundane job.

Looking around the office, checking to make sure the coast was clear, he inserted a key fob in the USB drive which made sure his emails he sent would be untraceable. He began typing one out to his brother, letting him know how everything was and that the time was soon upon them to inherit the money owed to them by their father. They thought that, with their sister out of the way it would have been automatically split between his two remaining children, but no. Their incompetent father told them the news that whoever came forward with information on the murder of his beloved little girl would be handsomely rewarded. Even though killing their sister was part of the plan, they had no clue it would back fire on them, and now it had fucked everything up. But it would soon be okay.

He could just see their fathers face when he realised that the only witness was murdered and that he would never know the truth. Then he would have to give them their share none the wiser to the fact that his eldest son had been the culprit all along. No American bred asshat was getting their dosh, that’s for sure. 

He took a deep breath to calm down. He didn’t need anyone taking notice that he was getting worked up as he typed away on the keyboard. He signed the email using his real name, Cody, but added the words love always. The feds weren’t the only ones who could create new identities out of thin air. 

Once he finished sending his email, he logged off and got up to get some coffee. Even though it was cheap shit it would have to do since he needed the caffeine. When this was all over he would be back with his brother living the high life again. He couldn’t wait to wear his real clothes and not some second hand trash. Even though they were brand new they felt like cheap and worn. He missed his Armani and Dolce and Gabana clothing and his nice shoes. 

Walking back to his desk, he sits down making sure everything is neat before doing some report work for the cases he had to be involved in. He made sure that they were completed properly, as he had to make sure the façade was perfect so no one suspected him. He had a slight problem some people would call OCD, but he liked things to be in order. Everything in his wallet had its correct place; even the house he rented was immaculate. Nothing was out of place. So what was wrong with that? Frankie, for one, couldn’t ascertain why people had misgivings over that condition. The only thing he couldn’t control was the insignificant people around him, lower class citizens his brother called them and it galled him to have to work beside these people. 

Relaxing back in his chair, he began observing everyone in the room without being too obvious. He noticed that Ally was not at her desk; he knew she started at nine so she must be in the Sheriff’s office. It was Jacob’s day off unfortunately, because it meant he had to work instead. Jacob’s sister was having an engagement party in the next town over, so he headed away this morning for it and wouldn’t be back until Monday at the earliest. Jacob had told him how Jared and Jensen had sent his sister a card and voucher to mark the occasion which caused him to smile, thinking of all the pain Jared had suffered last night and how much more was in store for him.

Before long his smile started to become maniacal in appearance so he quickly reeled it in. Toning it down to a lighter one was hard given the fact he was thinking of killing Jared and how much fun it was going to be.

Frankie was snapped out of his train of thought by Jonah coming out of his office followed by Ally. They were walking close together and talking very quietly to one another. Frankie immediately went poker still and listened closely to see if he could catch what was being said, but unluckily he couldn’t, so he gave up. It would eventually be spilled one way or another. Small towns like this love their gossip, especially when it came to anything exciting.

By the time Frankie looked up from his desk again it was almost three p.m. This particular Sunday was flying by so fast. Usually they dragged on and on. Jonah had gone on his patrol rounds earlier and had just re-entered the building, letting Collette know that Jared was still asleep after the long surgery he went through and that Jensen was doing very well. He only suffered minor injuries and would be released later tomorrow. Frankie perked up at this. It meant that Jared was still vulnerable. Just before Frankie could ask him who he thought had done it, his cell phone rings which he answers immediately. He can tell from Jonah’s facial expression that he knows who’s calling and he leaves the main area and heads to his office for more privacy. 

Frankie knows he must remain patient, but it’s getting on his nerves now. He will have to try and do it tonight before the man gets more visitors. So he sits at his desk and continues the monotonous chore of being a deputy. 

~*~

Jonah breaths a sigh of relief when he enters his office, closing the door behind him before going over to his chair and collapsing back on to it. 

“Jonah, are you ok?” Chris asks perplexed at Jonah’s exhale.

“Yeah, I’m okay Chris, just back from visiting the hospital. Jared was still asleep, normal sleep thankfully. He’s out of danger from the surgery. The doc expects a full recovery and Jensen is doing well, but I have a feeling that you may already know that,” Jonah replies while rubbing the back of this neck. The muscles there were killing him; he was so tense. 

“That’s affirmative. My partner Steve and I called in there after we had some breakfast and looked around the area. Jensen was able to talk to us for a small bit. He remembers bits and pieces, but we will need to talk to Jared as soon as we get the ‘okay’ from the doctor and up to talking about what happened. We have begun our own investigation in to the attack on them. Is there any chance you could call over to the B&B so we can show you what we have found so far?” Chris asks before taking a sip from his fresh cup of coffee. 

“Yeah I think I can do that alright. What time would you need me to call at? My shift isn’t over for another few hours at least, or do you need me to be on duty when I do call over?” Jonah queried as he lifted his legs on to the desk, stretching out and relaxing back in to his chair. He just about managed to suppress the deep moan that threatened to escape from the relief of pressure off his feet. 

“When you’re on duty would be best so it’s official and in case something does happen you’ll have your government issued weapon on you. Let’s say about one hour from now, outside the B&B. We’ll have take-out so no need to grab any supper.” 

“Okay see you in an hour or so, then. Make sure mine has something with chicken in it. Bye for now.” Jonah waits for Chris to say good-bye before hanging up, placing his phone back into the front pocket of his jeans. 

Sitting back up, he gathers some files that are scattered around his desk and starts working on them, carefully reading over everything and making sure spellings are correct as well as grammar. 

Jonah looks up from the last file to check the wall clock and is surprised to find that the hour is almost up, so he just finishes the last bit of grammar correction. It would have to be Frankie’s one. Usually the man is a perfectionist with his reports but Jonah doesn’t expect perfection all the freaking time. He places the file in the ‘finished’ filing cabinet located in the left hand corner of the room. 

Getting up from his seated position, he stretches his arms above his head and winces when his back pops. He can feel his bones realigning themselves from being hunched over his desk for a while, but it couldn’t be helped. It was part and parcel of being the town’s sheriff and he wouldn’t change it for the world…well, except for when severe violent attacks happened like last night. It still shocks him that it was only last night that Jensen and Jared were attacked. 

He only hoped that it wasn’t committed by someone he trusted, because that would be the ultimate betrayal in his book. He was also anxious to see what Chris had found out in the few hours before he went to see Jensen.

Re-holstering his weapon, he headed for the main office letting Collette know that he was heading out and would be gone for a while. He also let her know that Ally was there if anything did arise and that she would be well able to take of it. 

Collette nodded in reply and told him to be safe out there. He smiled his thanks before closing the front door as he left, making his way to his car.

~*~  
Pulling up at the B&B, he parks directly outside the reception area. He spots a tall enough looking man with shoulder length brown hair. He’s wearing jeans and a checked shirt and as he walks closer to the guy, he notices the intense blueness of his eyes. They feel like they could penetrate concrete. Jonah expects that the guy is Chris; he spots another figure over Chris’s left shoulder. He makes out broad shoulders and wavy blonde locks. The guy is also dressed in jeans and a simple grey shirt. He assumes that this guy is the Steve that Chris mentioned on the phone earlier.

Once he comes to a stop in front of them, he holds out his hand automatically. His momma taught him right after all. Chris immediately shakes his hand in welcome before beginning to talk. 

“Hey, Jonah. I’m Chris, which I think you already figured out. Thanks for coming over here to meet with us and also for not informing anyone where you were going and who you were meeting,” spoke Chris in what he hoped was a friendly manner.

“Hey Chris. You’re right, I did figure out who you were. And you’re welcome, even though I don’t usually like keeping information from my two top deputies Ally and Jacob, but I can understand the reasons behind it,” replies Jonah.

“I know that it must be extremely hard for you, but we can’t be too careful. We don’t fully know if Jensen and Jared are one hundred percent safe yet so we can’t take any chances, so that’s why I asked for your discretion earlier.” 

Chris feels Steve walk up behind him and he turns his head slightly in greeting, giving him a small reassuring smile before turning back to Jonah again.

“This is Steve, my partner, and also the only person I trust first and foremost apart from Jared and Jensen. And before you say anything, I know deep down that you did not mean for anything to jeopardise their safety. When I shouted at you on the phone yesterday, it was out of shock, plain and simple. I want to apologise for snapping at you and for accusing you of putting their lives at risk.”

Jonah shakes Steve’s hand while he continues listening to what Chris is telling him. He is so relieved that the man believes him. A weight he didn’t realise he was carrying is lifted off him and he can now breathe a bit better. 

“Hi Steve, and thanks to both of you for coming. Thank you, too , Chris. I’m glad that you know I had nothing to do with what happened,” Jonah smiles, his bright happy one that usually only comes out for family and very close friends.

Jonah follows Chris and Steve to their room and spots the big board to the left hand side and cartons of steaming hot food on the table to his right. It must be the biggest room the B&B had. Well, Jonah assumed as much anyway, because the board didn’t take up that much space, even though it was at least six feet in diameter. The table was also a decent size, too, and it had three chairs instead of the normal two. 

“Claire brought us in an extra chair when we told her that we had invited someone over. She kindly retrieved the chair from one of the empty rooms, so have a seat and tuck in to your grub and we’ll tell you what we know so far,” Chris explained as he sat in his own chair. 

Jonah plonked down on to his chair and opened the container that Chris placed in front of him. He couldn’t help the moan that escaped his lips as he chewed the first bite of his meal. He savoured every morsel of it as he ate, making sure to appreciate the flavours of his dinner. Feeling content and full, he chewed and swallowed the last bite of chicken breast. Making sure he wiped his chin with a napkin, he looked over at the other two and noticed that they had just finished theirs as well. Sitting back in his chair, he waited for Chris to start the conversation that was about to be had. He found he didn’t have to wait too long.

“I hope you know that it’s our job to look into people who came into contact with Jay and Jensen. First we looked at the staff in your place of work. Collette, Jacob and Ally have all been cleared. Sandy, who works with Jared at the clinic, is okay; no hidden agendas there and same goes for Jeffery Dean Morgan who works with Jensen at the high school. Frankie, on the other hand, is sort of an enigma to us. From what we have found, he’s never had a speeding ticket, parking fine or any run it with the law. Come to think of it, there’s not one mention of this guy anywhere prior to six months ago so there’s a question mark hanging over his head the moment. I am assuming, though, that you have told Sandy and Jeffery about what happened to their colleagues. So my question to you, Jonah is this: can you tell us anything about Frankie, anything at all, even something small can lead to something big?” Chris takes a huge gulp of air as he finishes talking. Sometimes he forgot how passionate he could get when it came to his friends being hurt. 

“Well, first of all I’m glad that Collette, Jacob, Ally, Sandy and Jeffrey have all been cleared of being behind the attack on our mutual friends, because that’s what Jensen and Jared have come to be to me and I know Jacob and Ally feel the same. On the topic of Frankie, he applied for the last remaining deputy position I advertised roughly six months ago. He had all the right credentials, and even his weapons certificate was authentic and he had passed it with flying colours. So I hired him. Now, apart from him writing up incident reports this week that were so unlike him, nothing comes to mind. He lives alone as far as I know; he doesn’t have any friends, doesn’t mingle with anyone from the town, not even people he works with. I have noticed that everything on his desk is always a certain way and that he flips out if anyone messes with anything on there. If he finds a speck of dust he has to polish it immediately,” Jonah pauses to take a drink to moisten his throat as it had dried out some bit before continuing on.

“I also noticed that the only time he ever socialised with us was when Jensen and Jared had a barbecue a few weeks back. All of us were there, including Sandy and Jeffery. We were all dumbfounded when he showed up. I’m pretty sure that some of our jaws were gaping in shock from seeing him. It was so un-like him to just come to one of these types of nights out. I mean, Jacob, Ally and myself have all had a social event recently, but theirs was the only one he came too,” explains Jonah as he takes another sip of water when he finishes.

~*~

Several hours had passed as they sat there, each one of them going over all the information they had learned. It’s only when Jonah sits up straight so suddenly that both Chris and Steve know that the man has just remembered something important. 

Glancing outside he was surprised at how dark it had become. He looked over at the two men with nervous hands.

“Oh my freaking God. How come I didn’t see it sooner? It’s only after thinking about it for a while, about certain events, that it has come back to me. Frankie has tried to be at every call out in and around their house. Sometimes a dog or a cat would stray up that far and we’d get phone calls from parents whose kids were frantic with worry over not being able to locate their pets. He would be so adamant about going out there, almost demanding. It’s been increasing more and more these last two weeks. Could Frankie be behind everything? Could he have hired someone to attack them last night instead of doing it himself? And could he have been behind the situation three years ago? Surely the FBI and the US Marshalls office aren’t the only people who can change someone’s entire life, even corrective facial surgery if needed,” implores Jonah as he looks at them with fear filled eyes. 

“Holy Shit,” curses Chris looking from Steve then to Jonah.

“Yeah, it would definitely explain why Jared didn’t recognise him when they met, but this also means that Jared’s is in serious danger if Frankie is the person responsible. Is he under police protection at the hospital Jonah?” inquires Steve. 

“No he isn’t and because I didn’t think about the enemy being this close and right under our noses. I better call Collette and get her to send Ally over there and also get Jacob to watch her back even though it’s his night off. I don’t think he’ll complain when he’s informed as to why he’s being asked to go in the first place,” says Jonah, his face whitening after losing its healthy glow from earlier that evening.

But before Jonah can pull up his contact list, the phone starts ringing in his hand. The sound cut through the eerie silence that’s just descended on them. Looking at the caller id, his face loses even more colour.

Chapter Four

_Earlier that evening_

It was late Sunday when Jared tried opening his eyes, but he felt as though they were taped shut. He tried again and this time it worked. He squinted when the bright lights hit his eyes. He knew then that he must have been asleep for a while. He started to move his hand along the opposite side to see if he could locate Jensen, but he only hit a metal barrier and this caused him to awake immediately and look around. It was then he spotted the monitors and white walls. He knew now that something had happened, but what though? He needed to calm down, so he started by slowing his breathing and lying back down on the mattress. 

Taking deep breaths in and out he slowly remembered that people were in their house and he could have sworn that he saw Frankie before was plunged down in to unconsciousness. But surely Frankie wasn’t behind the attack on them. Why, then, did he remember him so vividly? He knew that the logical thing to do was wait until he was able to see Jensen, because then he could ask him what he remembered. 

They had let their guard down and this was the result of it. For two solid years they kept a vigil of their surroundings and who they came across every day, but they eventually relaxed, thinking that the person wouldn’t find them and now Jared felt so stupid because of this.

He was relaxing back on the mattress, only to startle again as he remembered Sadie, their gorgeous little puppy. He really and truly hoped that she was ok. He briefly remembered her scampering off somewhere when the attack happened, but didn’t remember anything else when he felt searing pain in his chest and abdomen. He knew it must have been serious, given the amount of bandages covering his chest. He knew he should press the nurses’ button but he didn’t want to just yet, slipping back in to a slight sleep with a small smile on his face knowing that Jensen would be able to fill in the rest, or maybe Jonah. 

As Jared slept again, his dreams began taking hold of his mind, making him relive the last twenty four hours in high definition. He remembered finishing for the day in his vet clinic before heading over to the high school to meet up with Jensen so they could travel home together. He had dropped Jensen there that morning since Jensen’s car was in the auto shop; the suspension was shot and one tyre had blown a few days ago when the car hit a huge pothole on the outskirts of town just before their house.

Jensen had complained to Jonah when it happened, about how dangerous it was, and that he was lucky that he was in a car. If he had been a motorcycle user it would have been a more serious outcome, but thankfully it was now fixed. They got a bite to eat at the local diner which became a weekly tradition ever since they moved here three years ago. Sometimes Jared couldn’t believe it’s been that long, but he grew to love it and the people here were so nice and open minded. 

Following their dinner they headed home and gave Sadie some food and water before taking her for a walk around the woodland surrounding their house. They had really been lucky when they had gotten this place because it was beautiful; a two-storey stone house with a wrap-around porch. Jared had grinned brightly when he spotted the double-seated swing chair next to the back door. It had a massive open fire in the main sitting room with leather couches, three bedrooms, their master bedroom had an en-suite bathroom, plus one other which was located on the second floor in between the two other bedrooms. 

Their bedroom over looked the back garden which had a winding path that led to the woods. It also had flowers scattered along the outline of the path, which in spring and summer looked heavenly; pinks, purples, yellows and orange blossoms greeted them every morning when they looked out of their window. They spent the evenings on the couch, watching some silly show that neither of them can remember as they had started kissing softly before it turned heated and passionate. Sometimes it still amazed Jared how much he still loved kissing Jensen, and he knew Jensen felt the same. Their desire for one another quickly spread to clothes being taken off and a lot of moans and whimpers before having to shower later on and settling in bed ready for a nights sleep. 

Both Jared and Jensen woke from a deep sleep wondering what had startled them awake, when suddenly they heard a noise from downstairs. It wasn’t Sadie because she was a quiet little puppy, so they both got out of bed quickly, but quietly. Jensen rustled around near the bed and managed to find the baseball bat which was standing upright next to the wall. He picked it up and made sure he had a firm grip. He started making his way out of the room, looking over his shoulder once to indicate to Jared to stay behind him. He spotted the man rolling his eyes, but was glad when he did what he was asked to do. 

Jensen took the stairs quietly, but efficiently, before turning towards the living room. He had just positioned the bat when he was struck from the side. He could feel himself falling to the ground, severe pain reverberating through his head and body before crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

Jared screamed before he managed to stop himself, causing the intruders to turn on him. He never saw the knife but he felt the pain it inflicted on his body, followed by another sharp pain before his arms came up to try and stem off the attack on his person, but to no avail. One more stab wound and he was loosing consciousness. His body fell to the ground, which felt like it took forever, but in reality took only moments. Before he went completely under he saw someone he knew out of the corner of his eye, not knowing then that this person was hell bent on finishing the job that should have been completed that night three years ago. 

Jensen heard Jared’s scream and it shook him awake. Even though his vision had diminished somewhat from the blow to his head, he dragged his body up and tackled the one intruder who was stabbing Jared. He managed to wrestle the knife off him and plunged it in to the assholes abdomen, hitting his intestines with extreme precision, which caused the guy to stumble and head towards the door, blood pouring from his wound. He died right in front of the house. Jensen turned towards the guy that was behind Jared, but before he could attack him, he felt dizzy and fell to the floor in a heap, his body finally succumbing to its injuries. Neither of the unconscious men saw the person writing the message on the wall using Jared’s blood or the arrival of help in the form of Jonah, Ally and Jacob. 

~*~

Flicking open his cell, Jonah placed it next to his ear and waited for the person to speak first.

“Hi Collette, what’s the matter?”

“Hey Jonah, sorry to bother you, but we’ve had a call come through to us from the hospital requesting police presence immediately,” informs Collette. 

“Okay, take a deep breath and calm yourself down. It won’t do any of us any good if you faint sweetheart,” Jonah calmly tells her on the phone even though on the inside he’s completely freaking out. 

He hears Collette taking a few deep breaths and when he hears her sounding calmer, he will ask her a question that might shock her too much.

“Now Collette, I need you to find out if Frankie’s at his desk and try not to make such a commotion doing so. Can you do that for me?”

“Sure thing. I can do that; just give me a couple of seconds to go check.”

Jonah waits holding the phone to his ear. Each second that goes by seems agonisingly slow. He can literally hear his own heart beat gaining momentum as he waits.

“Jonah.”

“Yeah Collette, I’m right here.”

“He’s not here. I know for certain that he’s not on a call out because it’s directed through me. Plus his side arm is missing and extra bullets. What do I need to do?” she shakily replies, her voice quivering more with each word she spoke.

“First of all I want you to get Ally and ask her to get to the hospital. Also ring Jacob and ask him to follow her and be her back up. Make sure you tell both of them to wear their bulletproof vests and to make sure their weapons are loaded. I don’t know what to expect at the hospital but I’m not taking any chances. Tell them also that I will get there as soon as possible and to take extreme caution when approaching Frankie. At the moment he is to be considered armed and dangerous. Did you get all that?”

“I did indeed. Ally just walked in from the back office. Give me two seconds to tell her what you’ve just told me,” placing the phone on her chest she informs Ally who heads back through the door she just left to get her gear.

“Ally’s getting ready now; I will ring Jacob as soon as I hang up. Please be careful, all of you, okay, Jonah?”

“I’ll try Collette. I will fill you in as soon as I know anything okay. I’m going to hang up now okay so I’ll say goodbye,” and with that the line went dead. 

Jonah stood and found Chris and Steve already waiting for him. They left immediately and got into Jonah’s patrol car, sirens blaring. He pulled out and headed for the hospital. All three of them were hoping that they weren’t too late. 

“How the fuck did I not know something was wrong with Frankie? I just thought he was odd, like a loner but now it all makes sense,” Jonah berates himself as he talks to Chris and Steve. 

“First of all Jonah, this is not your fault. He duped everyone, our friends included. Second, Frankie’s not going to get away with it now, since we know about him.”

Steve nods his head in the rear-view mirror agreeing with Chris. 

Pulling up outside the main entrance, Jonah didn’t even think about parking restrictions. All he cared about now was getting to Jared’s room and praying that the three of them were in time to save Jared from being killed. 

Rushing in through the doors, the reception staff just pointed right and they raced along, their feet eating up the floor. Patients kept out of their way by clinging to the walls and other hospital staff members dodged them by escaping through doors leading to other various rooms. 

Jonah skids to a halt on the surgery recovery floor, Chris and Steve barely missing ploughing into him by swerving at the last second before impact that would have occurred and then came to a stop right beside Jonah. 

The sight that greets them is a scene of pure chaos and abject terror. From what Jonah can see from his advantage point is two female nurses are lying on the ground in pools of their own blood. Fellow nurses are kneeling beside them frantically working to save their colleagues. One girl shakes her head from side to side; they’ve lost one, and her injuries were just too severe to make it through.

Jonah whistled lightly causing the nurse closest to them too swivel her head around and her eyes widened with relief, but also shock from seeing the Sheriff standing there with two other men. He motions for her to come over to him and he can see her hesitation but she lifts herself up and walks over quickly glancing, behind at her friends. 

“Oh my God, Sheriff, thank God you’re here now. It’s Frankie, he’s gone mad! He came up here wielding his gun and shouting that Jared needed to die. He said something about his brother demanding it to be done,” Gwen replies sobbing, fat tears stream down her face as she looks up at the three men. 

“It’s okay, Gwen, but can you tell me where my other two deputies are? Their names are Ally and Jacob. I sent them ahead of me,” inquires Jonah looking down at Gwen’s blotchy face from when she was crying a few moments ago. 

“They’re in Jared’s room; they got here just after my friends were shot. Ally told Frankie to put down his weapon but he just laughed at her and it was a scary laugh; it was pure evil. Before they were able to disarm him, he pulled the trigger and shot Jacob in the leg. I’m pretty sure it missed the artery, but I’m not one hundred per cent. He then pointed his gun at Ally and ordered her to drag Jacob into Jared’s room, and then he turned to us and said if anyone tried to enter that he would start shooting everyone in the room before coming out here and taking care of us.”

“Thanks for filling us in about what’s happened, but I have one more question that I need to ask you before you can go back to your friends. Does Jensen know what’s going on yet, or was he in the room with Jared when all this went down?”

“No Sheriff, Jensen hasn’t been up here yet. Jared did wake up briefly earlier, but since he’s so heavily medicated with antibiotics and pain killers he fell back to sleep quite quickly. The only reason I know he woke up is that I passed his room when it happened and I could tell he was about to fall back to sleep so I let him. Would you like me to get him for you, sir?” Gwen asked reluctantly but it’s her job so she offers any help she can give. 

“Yes, I think it would be best if he was informed instead of someone letting it slip that something bad was happening on Jared’s floor. I want you to go to his room and have him come here, but in no circumstances is he to march into that room and cause everything go up shit creek without a paddle, do you understand Gwen?”

“I understand completely and I will make sure your words are taken seriously. I have friends up here, too. We’ve lost one, but Annie’s going to make it,” with saying that she turns around and heads back to her fallen comrades. 

Jonah watches her as she leaves in awe of Gwen’s determination and leadership. He watches as she gives directions to other nurses. A sheet is placed over Jaclyn’s body out of respect for their friend, while Annie is carefully lifted, mindful of her injuries and is put on a stretcher and carried away for immediate surgery. 

Jaclyn is lifted then and placed on a gurney with the same kindness that was shown to Annie; she’s wheeled away to the morgue and will be there until her next of kin is called in to claim her body for burial. 

Once everything is sorted, Gwen carries on down the corridor before taking a left in search of Jensen’s room to let him know what has happened and that Jonah wants him to come to the surgery ward to await further instruction. Jonah knows that Jensen’s going to go ape shit when hears what’s just gone down one floor below his.

~*~

Jensen’s flicking through the countless boring channels on the TV in his private room when the door opens and a nurse walks in. He can tell from her body language that he’s not going to like what she’s about to tell him. He immediately thinks of Jared downstairs. 

He remembers having a chat to Chris and Steve this morning only, to find out that the attack on them the previous night wasn’t a random incident. It was because their location had been compromised. Chris had informed him that they were going to work with Jonah to find who was behind the betrayal. Jonah had also visited to ask him about the attack and how much did he remember. He told Jonah what he could, some parts were still hazy, but he did remember hearing Jared’s scream and that’s what roused him off the floor after the blow to the head. He needed to help Jared and that’s all he can remember. 

Refocusing his attention back on the nurse, he spots her name tag and it reads Gwen. Well at least now he knows who he’ll be talking too. 

“Hi Jensen, my name is Gwen and I was sent to get you by Jonah to come down to the surgical ward. But before I take you there, you must listen to me carefully and then do exactly as Jonah tells you to do,” acknowledges Gwen, looking at Jensen directly to make sure her point is taken on board. 

“Sure, Gwen, but even now you’re beginning to freak me out with how ominous you sound,” squeaks Jensen, his voice an octave higher as he speaks. 

“Sorry Jensen, but I just needed you to understand. There’s been an incident on Jared’s floor. Deputy Frankie has taken Jared, Ally and Jacob hostage in his room. He walked in here earlier wielding a gun and ranting and raving. He shot and killed one of my friends’ who’s also a co-worker and he’s seriously injured another. He also shot Jacob when they tried to apprehend him. Jonah told me to come up here and let you know what’s happened and that he wants you downstairs but, not to rush into the room before thinking it through. He has two other men with him; one has shoulder length brown hair and the other has shorter wavy blonde hair. I’m assuming that you know who these men are with our Sheriff. So I need you to put on the shoes that are in your locker, and follow me,” gulps Gwen as she finishes talking, her mouth slightly dry from having to explain the incident again. She watches Jensen get out of bed and put on his shoes with great speed. 

“Shit Gwen, how did this happen? I can’t believe that it was Frankie all along. So Jonah wants me down there so he obviously has a plan that he needs to execute. I’m glad you told me and that it wasn’t some random person who didn’t know anyone who’s mixed up with this.”

And with that they left the room and headed out the door, not bothering to close it behind them. They walked towards the staircase with determination in their strides but for very different reasons; one wants to save his partner the other wants this nightmare over and done with. 

Jensen turns the final corner and spots Jonah instantly along with Chris and Steve who are standing with him all huddled together, talking quietly amongst themselves. Jensen thinks it’s because they don’t want Frankie to hear what they’re saying. He clears his throat to get their attention and in any other circumstance it would have been funny to see three heads all turn at the same time in his direction, but in reality, anything remotely funny was far from anyone’s mind. 

He walks purposefully towards them, his gait not giving away how freaking nervous he is. As he moves, he quickly glances sideways to see in through the window on Jared’s door, but due to its size, he really can’t make anything out. He almost lost Jared once its not going to happen a second time, that’s for damn sure. He will also try to make sure that Ally and Jacob will get out of this as well. 

Those two and Jonah have become good friends of theirs; Ally with her love of animals had instantly clicked with Jared, and her love for unique furniture is what made her connect with Jensen. 

Jacob and Jonah were just as immediate in how quickly they became friends, what with their love of football and their passion for a perfectly cooked steak. It was like kindred spirits coming together.

Shaking his head to focus back on the three men ahead of him, he gauges their reactions to him as he comes closer. One look on their faces and he would know if something far worse had happened, but thankfully there are no sad and pitying looks being thrown in his direction. 

He forces his feet to keep moving the last few steps and comes to a complete stop in front of them. Chris places his left hand on his shoulder in support, silently letting him know that he’s here if he needs him. Jensen smiles his gratitude at his friend, thankful to have friends here with him.

“So guys, what’s the plan? Do we have an opportunity to just get in there when Frankie’s back is turned or while he’s distracted?” Jensen inquires looking at them hopefully. 

“Well we know that Jacob sustained an injury to his leg from what Gwen told us earlier, but it missed his major artery which is good in itself. The downside is that he could still be loosing a lot of blood,” replies Jonah looking to thank Gwen before he gives her the signal that she can leave and get to safety. He wants to keep the corridor as clear as possible. 

“We still need to come up with a decent plan that we can execute without anyone else getting hurt. Frankie is optional at this point; if we need to take him out than we will.”

Just as they try to work out a plan of action, they hear screams and shouting coming from Jared’s room followed by a bang. Reacting immediately, they rush into the room, and almost slip on the growing pool of blood that’s slowly taking over the floor. Looking down, they see Frankie’s lifeless body. 

 

~*~

Jared wakes up from his medicine induced sleep to raised voices and loud bangs. He knows instantly that they’re gun shots. Someone outside has been hurt and he can’t get out of bed to help. Jared keeps listening and then he hears someone whistle in the distance and he knows that help is on the way. He’s shocked when he sees the door shoved open and Ally walking backwards through the door way, pulling Jacob with her. He can instantly see that Jacob is hurt and Jared is nervous now, but he tries to remain calm.

Following them through the door is Frankie holding his gun, which is trained at his work colleagues before his line of sight shifts and the gun is being aimed at Jared. He gestures to the Ally and Jacob to put their weapons on the floor and kick them over towards him so he has total control. 

Sitting up immediately, just to have a clearer picture about what’s going down, Jared is completely dumbfounded that Frankie’s in here wielding a gun, but then he suddenly remembers his dream or should he say, nightmare. He saw Frankie walk in, that’s what he couldn’t remember in his lucid moments. He was behind the attack last night and by the looks of things, he wants to finish Jared off. 

If it wasn’t for all the God damn wires attached to him, Jared would wrestle the fucker himself, but he can’t endanger the lives of two people he has grown very fond of. 

“Well Jared, we meet again. It’s been three years since the night you spoiled my plans.”

“What the hell are you talking about Frankie?” Asks Jared, but then he sees the slight changes in the man’s face and it suddenly clicks; this guy has a split personality.

“My name is Alec, not Frankie. You disturbed my night. I managed to kill my mangy sister and leave her there for daddy dearest to find, but you scuppered all of my plans. I was going to wait in the bushes to see the look on his face, but then you came along on your night run and foiled everything. So I had to follow you back to find out where you lived. Liked the message I sent careening through your sitting room window? Personally, I thought it was ingenious. Don’t you think, Jared?” Alec smiled manically. 

Jared sits there gaping at him, his mouth opening and closing like a stranded fish. He just couldn’t believe that this was the same guy. Glancing quickly at Ally and Jacob, who were staring at Frankie-or Alec-like he was from another planet, Jared knew then that he had to try and get this resolved fast, but without causing anyone else getting hurt. 

“Alec, or whatever you’re calling yourself, how did you find me after all this time?”

“It’s Alec; do you need me to spell it out for you? Are you inept at spelling, you American hick? Anyway, I went under the radar for a bit. You can’t live like that for too long before you crave the existence you had before your life got ruined by an American shit head. So I had to find a job of some sort and then I saw an ad somewhere looking for a deputy sheriff and I figured that documents could easily be forged. And what do you know? They were. I had a stash of money put away for emergencies, so I figured I’d get some work done and I almost burst out laughing when you and that partner of yours welcomed me in. I knew the plastic surgeon had done a great job, because you didn’t recognise me, so I put a plan into action.”

He moves closer to Jared, forgetting the other occupants in the room as he becomes completely focused on the man in front of him. 

 

“So let me get this straight. You got the job, obviously, and the waited until the right moment- Am I getting close? But you couldn’t do the dirty work yourself, so you hired someone else to do it for you, but it backfired because you didn’t take in Jensen’s resolve at making sure I was okay. It must have really pissed you off,” edged Jared as he saw Ally move out of the corner of his eye closer to her fallen weapon. He knew then that he was doing something right at least.

“You fucking shit, how dare you taunt me? I’m going to kill you now, you asshole!” He re-points his gun at Jared and squeezes the trigger.

“No!”

Jared hears someone scream and braces himself for the impact of the bullet, as he knew this was going to hurt a lot and it might even kill him. His eyes close briefly when he hears the shot, but upon feeling no pain, he looks down at himself, but there is no bullet wound. His stitches have torn, though, which causes a small amount of blood to trickle out, but not serious enough to be a worry right now. 

His head shoots up and sees Ally with her gun raised and in a fighting stance, Frankie dead at her feet. The door bursts open and he spots Jonah, Jensen, Chris and Steve all rush in, three of them with guns raised, Jensen is dressed in hospital scrubs so he knows why Jensen is unarmed. He smiles bright and happy, his dimples on full display when he sees Jensen turn towards him, almost jumping over Frankie’s dead body to get to him. He feels strong, powerful arms wrap around him and envelope him with love and adoration. As he soaks up the warmth from the man he loves unconditionally he hears Jonah ask a question, so he raises his head from Jensen’s shoulder and turns to look at the man who has become his friend. 

“What the fuck happened? Someone please explain to us what the hell went down in here.”

“Jesus Jonah, where do we start?”

“How about from when ya’ll came in to this room? That might be a good start.”

Jared, Ally and Jacob looked at each other and Ally decided that she’d be the one to explain what had just gone down moments before.

“Well, Jared asked Frankie what the hell he was doing and he replied by saying his name wasn’t Frankie it was Alec. Yeah, that’s exactly what our reactions were too, like fish gasping for air. I’m going to keep calling him Frankie for my own sanity while I tell you the rest. Frankie then went on and told Jared that he had disturbed him that night when he was killing his sister and that he wanted his father to see the look on the man’s face when he saw his precious daughter was dead.”

“He went on, then, about following Jared back home to find out where he lived to throw a message through the window, which he thought, was absolutely genius. So he laid low for a while until he couldn’t handle living below his means anymore and spotted the job you advertised Jonah. He had the documents forged and got facial reconstruction done and he knew it worked because Jared didn’t recognise him at their barbecue,” pants Ally as she takes in massive amounts of air after explaining most of the events. Jared decided to take over then to give Ally’s voice a rest. 

“I then went on and baited him, because I saw that Ally was moving closer to his weapon, but I kinda went too far and pissed him off and the next thing I hear is Ally screaming ‘no’ and boom. I quickly checked over my chest to make sure I didn’t get hit when I looked over at Ally and saw her in her shooting stance and Frankie dead at her feet. But one thing I definitely know for sure is that Frankie had a split personality. I only just realised it when I saw brief changes in his face when I called him Frankie the first time.”

“Huh.”

“Well, that certainly explains everything, but we’ll have to find out more about the guy before we can be definite with the results. We’ll have to contact the people in your home town to find out what else we didn’t know.”

“Shit, the guy must have been completely off the rails then, because he had fooled us all.”

Everyone in the room nods at this statement before Jonah pulls out his walkie-talkie and contacts Collette to tell her that everyone is okay and that Frankie has been taken care of. He then picks up the phone in the room and calls for the coroner and for a doctor to look at Jacob to make sure that he’s going to be okay. 

~*~

Jensen sat on the bed beside Jared, not letting him out of his sight for more than it took to go on a bathroom break. Jared rolls his eyes and lets him because he knows that Jensen will feel better if he keeps an eye on him. The coroner had come to the room about two hours ago and removed Frankie’s body. An autopsy wasn’t needed, as it was evident that he was shot; in through one side of his head and out to other to lodge in the wall beside Jared’s bed. 

Jacob was seen to by the doctor that had treated Jensen and informed them all that Jacob will pull through with no problems, but was on rest until his leg healed completely which would take roughly four weeks to six weeks. Jared’s recovery would take a bit longer because of an infection he had picked up over the stress of the days’ events, but Jensen was just glad that Jared will pull through. 

Jensen stares at Jared while he rests wondering what’s going to happen now, and for some uncanny reason, Jared turns to look at him with a determined look etched on his face. 

“Jen, what do you want to do now, since we’re not having to hide anymore?”

“I don’t know Jared; do you have something on your mind?”

“Yeah, I kinda do. I want to stay and continue what we were doing here, with me being a vet and you continuing on teaching and making amazing furniture. I’ve grown too really like it here and we have made such wonderful friends; I don’t want to give that up. I know at the start we didn’t really want to move, but I think both of us like it here too much to leave now.” Jared looks into Jensen’s eyes, his green orbs looking back at him, hoping that he understands why he wants to stay.

“Oh thank God, Jare. I was really hoping you were going to say that. I, for one, love the quietness and the house we live in now. Jonah told me that he’s going to get it professionally cleaned while you’re still recuperating in here and I’m not leaving your side… well, until someone kicks me out, which will probably be soon.”

Jensen is dazzled by the sheer brilliance of Jared’s smile and he knows he’s said the right thing. A few seconds later he feels Jared’s soft lips caress his own in a light touch before evolving into a more sensuous kiss that leaves both sets of lips tingling as they draw apart. Jared slides down and rests his head on Jensen’s chest just above his beating heart and lets the gentle thumping sound pull him in to sleep with Jensen’s arm wrapped safely around his shoulder, keeping him safe from harm. 

Epilogue

It’s a year to the day when it all came to an end at the local hospital. Jared took roughly six months to heal, his wounds needing re-stitching following the incident which was only discovered when the doctor came on his rounds. He was about to scold Jared, but was quickly informed by Gwen about what had happened.

Cedar Falls welcomed them again when the dust settled; only the odd few residents were still miffed about being told a lie, but everybody else understood. Those that didn’t knew were the door was. 

Chris and Steve had travelled back to New York with the body after the incident, and until they knew the real identity, the corpse was called Frankie. It was roughly two months later when the whole astonishing truth behind the events was revealed. 

Frankie, as it turned out, had multiple personalities, not two but three. The first one was Cody; he was the biological named son of the French diplomat who was a scared young man who was never able to stand up to his father or his sister. Alec was the dominant personality. He was the one most people saw, especially when Cody felt threatened. He was also the one that killed his sister as revenge for how the sister had tormented her little brother, but what Alec deemed as torment most people would see it as sibling rivalry. Frankie was the third one who manifested himself to lead people on while Alec could plot Jared’s demise from within the recess of Cody’s mind.

Alec had complete control the night he took his sisters life, relishing his awesome handiwork when he carved ‘Daddy’s whore’ into the flesh of her stomach. It had made no sense because she was never treated differently to her brother; they both got the same attention from their father, so it must have been just Cody’s deranged mind that conjured it up. He was also the one that followed Jared home and threw the message in the window. 

Cody came back when it was all over and panicked, so he fled and kept of the radar, but Alec knew he needed someone else. So Frankie was born and fused with Cody’s mental frame of mind. Frankie was also a strong willed person and had fit in at Cedar Falls really well. It was all working out until that fateful day when he finally accepted an invitation from his peers to the barbecue that set in motion a chain of events that left everyone reeling from the shock, and also his death. 

Cody’s father had travelled down to visit them once everything had quietened down and personally apologised to them for all that been done at the hands of his own son. He had lost both of his children now and looking back, he was partially to blame for his own son because he hadn’t seen the signs until he was informed of his death when NYPD came to his house the night his body had been brought back and everything revealed to the stunned diplomat. 

When he offered them compensation they declined immediately saying that it was highly inappropriate for them to accept it, but if the man wanted to make a donation in honour of his daughter to a very worthy cause, then it would be okay with them. 

~*~  
Jared drew his attention away from his memories and back to the window he was currently standing in front. He was staring out at the back garden which was in full bloom and was bathed in. Jensen had asked him a week ago if it be alright to hold a get together here and Jared jumped at the idea and suggested a barbecue, which Jensen whole heartedly agreed too. 

Ally had taken Sadie for the afternoon so they could set up and she was bringing back her back this evening when she came. It would be good to have everyone at the house again, especially now, since they had recently done a renovation, adding on a conservatory and an indoor hot tub which were all located at the back of the house. Their garden was so big that it fit in easily and the natural beauty of their place wasn’t ruined. 

The garden was already set up for this evenings barbecue; there was one large table placed in the garden with blue and white tablecloth over it, another smaller table was off to the side which would hold any condiments and drinks. A huge new grill was on the patio which was softly lit up with over head lamps of red and yellow, but when it was being used for cooking the lights could be made brighter for safety. It all looks rather peaceful, Jared thought to himself, as he continued to gaze out the window. 

Guests would be arriving in about twenty minutes, so he knew he should start making his way downstairs, but he’s holding back, watching the world outside. He’s startled out of his thoughts when strong, warm arms wrap around him from behind. He feels Jensen’s lips skim the back of his neck, which makes him smile knowing how much this man cares for him. 

“Hey Jay, you ready to head downstairs? Everyone will be arriving soon and we have a little more to do still.”

“Yeah, I’m ready to head down now and finish up. How much is left to do?” Jared inquires as he turns to face Jensen.

“Well, the grill needs to be fired up, which means that the food will need to be cooked. When our friends get here they’ll be ravenous, so if we don’t feed them quickly enough, they’ll start whinging,” Jensen chuckles as he says the last part. Jared smiles knowing he’s telling the truth.

Jonah, Jacob and Ally will be here first, that’s a given, which means Collette won’t be too far behind them and neither will Sandy and Jeff. Jared just hopes that Chris and Steve are able to make it down. They didn’t know if they could get the time off and come down for the weekend. Everyone here needs a nice relaxing evening surrounded by friends, good food and a few good beers. 

As Jared follows Jensen back downstairs, he’s glad that they decided to change the wall colour on the ground floor. The different colour helps lesson the memory of that night a year ago. The only lasting reminders are the scars; the three of them stand out against his tanned skin. Jensen has helped a lot over the last year, making him feel less ashamed that someone managed to hurt him so badly. But Jensen reassured him that it could have happened to anyone and since both of them were taken by surprise, the attackers had the upper hand. Thankfully over the last few months Jared has come to realise that he’s not weak and that sometimes things just happen.

Jared grins happily when he sees how much Jensen’s managed to do so far. The homemade beef burgers are all seasoned and ready for the grill, and the fresh salads are all prepared in large bowls covered by cellophane wrap. A huge bucket filled with ice sits on the counter with bottles of beer and soda strategically placed in a way that will prevent them from toppling out and smashing on the ground, but it makes Jared smile none the less. 

The only part that they didn’t need to worry about was the desserts. Ally had called Jared the day before and told him not to worry and that she was taking care of the desserts. She would be bringing them with her when she came, but he didn’t know what she was going to make. It made him pout on the phone, and then he blushed when Ally told him to stop pouting and that he’d find out soon enough. 

Just as Jared is about the make his way towards the open sliding door carrying some of the salad bowls in his hands, he hears the doorbell. Turning back to the counter, he puts them back down and heads towards the front door instead, calling out to Jensen that he’s heading there to let some of their invited guests in. He pulls it open to find Jonah, Jacob and Ally standing on the porch. All three of them are holding dishes of sweet looking desserts, and of course Sadie is sitting by Ally’s legs, her tail thumping off the wood as she wags it back and forth. He reaches down to pet her and give her some affection before he stands to the side, letting them in. His nose picks up the scent of apples, peaches and strawberries; now he’s definitely curious as to what Ally has made for the evening. 

He moans quietly, or at he thinks he does, but Ally is looking at him with knowing eyes and he knows he’s been figured out. Ally just smiles at him brightly. He chuckles quietly when he sees Sadie take off towards the inside, knowing already that she’s heading for Jensen to get more cuddles and rubs. 

“Hey guys, do you need any more help or is that it,” asks Jared once the blush in his cheeks lesson. 

“Yes please, Jared. I have one more on the back seat, if you would be so kind and go get it for me. I would be eternally grateful,” replies Ally, smiling happily at seeing Jared back to his usual self. It’s been a long year for all of them. 

“Sure thing Als,” grins Jared brightly as he makes his way back outside and jogs the few steps to Jonah’s car. Opening up the back door, he reaches in and grabs the last dish, making sure his grip is tight before leaning back out and closing the door. He heads back up the few steps to the house and goes back inside, once again closing the front door with his foot as he goes. 

Following them back to the kitchen, he places the last dessert on the counter top. He’s thrilled when he sees that it’s apple pie. Jonah is carrying a peach and apricot pie and Jacob is carrying a massive strawberry pavalova. Jared’s mouth is already watering at the prospect of sampling each one. Holding his arm out, Ally passes him her jacket and when the other two see her doing it, they follow her example. 

Jared carries them back out of the kitchen and places them in the downstairs cloakroom. They had it installed when they did renovations to the backyard. Hearing the doorbell once again, he heads over to open it and smiles when he sees Collette, Sandy and Jeff standing there. Stepping aside he lets them in, asking for their coats before they all head back in to the kitchen.

Jensen comes back in through the open sliding back door and is grinning from ear to ear when he sees that a good few of their friends are already here. They talk amongst themselves and Jared is laughing heartily at something Jacob is telling him. This is what Jensen wanted. He knew Jared needed it and it was good to see his boyfriend openly happy once again. 

“Hey guys, I’m so glad that ye were able to make it. I know it was short notice and all, but Jay and myself thought it would be good to have a get together with our,” smiles Jensen as he looks at each of them, hoping they see how happy he is that they came. 

“Of course we were going to come here for a night out. I’ve been dying for a good night away from marking school work and having to listen to the teenagers complaining that they get to much homework on the weekends, that life is unfair, blah, blah, blah. Plus, you know, the teachers who can’t actually do their job, present company excluded, Jensen, just so you know.” Jeff is blushing by the time he finishes when he realises how far his little rant went. Thankfully everyone else in the room just grins. 

“Oh my, it seems my manners have gone out the window. Would anyone like a drink?” asks Jared as he heads over to the ice bucket containing the bottles of cooling refreshments. 

“I’ll take a beer,” requests Jeff. Jonah and Jacob ask for the same.

Jared looks over at Ally who seems to be contemplating what to ask for before finally coming to a decision.

“I’ll have a soda, if you have one, please,” asks Ally with a slight blush on her cheeks. 

“Three beers and a soda; any preference, Als?” inquires Jared, reaching for the bottles, even though he’s slightly perplexed as to why Ally is having a soda instead of her usual beer. 

“Orange if you have it, hon, and thanks.”

“Coming right up,” replies Jared picking up a glass as well and filling it with some ice before passing them over to their respectful owners. Jared turns back to the bucket and grabs a beer for himself and Jensen, passing it over him as he comes to a stand next to him. 

Jensen is manning the grill with his open beer bottle by his side and he’s in his element. He loves cooking like this, outdoors with the swirling light breeze, the smell of fresh grass and also, if you sit in a certain area of the garden, you can smell the flowers as they sway in the gentle wind. 

As everyone is sipping away at their drinks, they hear a noise coming from the side of the house. Jared tenses up immediately but he relaxes again once he sees that its Chris and Steve as they come into view. Even though he knows Frankie’s dead, he still tenses when he hears an unexpected noise. He gets up from his seat and heads over to them, wrapping Chris in a hug first, and then Steve who hug him back just as tightly. 

“So glad you could make it. Now that everyone is here we can get to have some delicious food,” Jared replies happily with one arm still strung across Steve’s shoulder. 

“Hell yeah, food is ready,” Jensen calls out and they all follow Jared on to the patio and grab their plates, packing them high with food before bringing them over to the table and chairs spread around the lawn. In the end, having the one long table was a great idea; all of them fit along the edge of it nicely, no elbow bumping or anything like that. Nothing is spoken for a while, so all you can hear is the sounds of them eating and not being ale to contain the moans of appreciation as they continued to eat the delicious home made burgers. All of them have cheese and ketchup, but only a few have onions and pickles packed in under their burgers somewhere. 

As each of them finishes their burgers, they all turn their attention to Jensen, including Jared, and thank him for the lovely food. Jensen turns bright red from all the compliments. Jared gets up from his seat and heads into the kitchen with Jonah following him to help him carry out the desserts. They place them on the smaller table and turn around to indicate to the others to come and help themselves. Jared can’t decide between the apple pie and the pavalova, so he takes a slice of both. He knows Jensen loves apple pie, so he cut a generous slice for him and brings it over. After all Jensen cooked their main meal, so it was the least he could do for him. 

Spoons and forks are in use to eat their desserts; everyone devouring their slices with relish. All of them can’t hold back their foodgasm as their taste buds are assaulted with the rich flavours of the various desserts. They all start complimenting Ally on her exceptional cake making skills and that she has done a terrific job. 

Once Jared finishes eating the last morsel of his two separate slices, he gets up from his seat and goes around to the opposite side of the table and sweeps Ally up into a hug. He wraps both of his arms around her to cocoon her in safety and warmth which causes her to grin from ear to ear as he did. 

Jared doesn’t know what made him pause in his hug until he felt it again, a jab to his stomach. Leaning back a small bit, he looks down towards his stomach where his met Ally’s and then he saw it; her belly is moving. He stares down transfixed at the movement until he notices Ally pulling away and pulling at her clothing. He knows instantly that she was self-conscious. 

When she looks up at him, he has a huge grin on his face and she knows he’s figured it out. She knows then that she has to come clean to the rest of her friends. Jonah already knew because it’s their unborn child growing inside of her, but they have kept it quiet for the last three months. Ally didn’t want to risk saying anything too early and it took everything in her to keep Jonah quiet, but she wants to tell her friends now. 

“Are you having a baby, Als?” asks Jared as he holds her hand gently.

“Yeah I am, Jared. I’m three months along. I hope you don’t think I was hiding it intentionally, because I wasn’t.

“Oh I know, hon. Everyone waits until the first trimester is over. I’m so happy for you. I’m guessing Jonah knows about it already.”

“Yeah, he knows. We’re so excited Jared. He’s been dying to tell people for a while, but he respected my wishes to keep it quiet until now. So, do you think I should interrupt everyone to fill them in?”

“I think it would be a great idea, hon. At least then you don’t have to wear slightly baggy clothes to hide your growing baby bump. I’ll get their attention for you while you head over to Jonah so you can tell everyone else together.”

“Thanks Jared, that means a lot,” Ally replies as she heads over to Jonah and whispers in his ear that she wants to tell everyone the news. He grins up at her with adoration and love shinning in his eyes. 

“Hey guys, Ally and Jonah have something they want to tell us, so could everyone give them their attention for a few minutes,” calls out Jared and smiles when he sees everyone turn their heads towards the couple. 

Ally blushes again when she sees them all turn to her, but she feels herself calm down again when she feels Jonah’s hand lightly squeezing hers in reassurance. She clears her throat before speaking so she doesn’t make a mess of her words.

“Jonah and I have some news; we’re expecting our first child and he’ll be born in roughly six months time.”

“Congratulations!” exclaims Jensen, which is followed by a hug and kiss to her cheek and another hug for Jonah.

“That’s wonderful news,” proclaims Collette and Jacob. Each of them get up from their seats to hug the couple. Sandy and Jeff soon follow. 

“We’re so happy for both of you,” replies Chris who is accompanied with Steve’s nod; they also give them a hug.

Once everyone settles back down after Ally news, more beers and soda is opened in celebration. They all salute the couple and it makes Ally smile so happily. She’s really glad that Jared and Jensen decided to stay here because she would have missed them something fierce.

~*~

Ally drives back for Jacob and Jonah as they had too much beer for it to be safe and they leave early enough. Jonah has to be at work in the late morning. Sandy had called a cab to take Jeff, Collette and herself home. Jared and Jensen stand on the porch to say goodbye to the last of their guests, Chris and Steve. Chris drives back to the B&B with Steve; he kept his beer to one so they could make it back it one piece. He also knew that Jared and Jensen needed to be alone tonight and Steve and himself have promised to call over the next day after much needed sleep was attained by all of them. 

 

They do the final bit of cleaning up, putting away chairs, folding back up the lawn table and storing it back in the garage before locking the door. They collect empty beer bottles and place them in the recycle bin before picking up the empty glasses and placing them in the sink to soak over night. The trash was thrown into the bin and the left over cakes were put in the fridge. Jared was looking forward to another slice of pavalova tomorrow afternoon. 

Jensen left Sadie out once more before locking the back door and making sure all windows were secure. Once he’s turned off the downstairs lights he takes Jared’s hand in his and leads him upstairs, leaving Sadie downstairs on her dog bed in front of the sitting room fire place. 

Before they even enter their bedroom, Jensen pins Jared up against the wall. He watches Jensen lean in and his eyes flutter before closing fully when he feels Jensen’s lips caress his own in a soft sensual touch which ignites feelings all along Jared’s veins. The kiss becomes more heated and intense when Jensen’s tongue skirts along the seam of Jared’s lips, begging for entry which Jared gladly gives. Their tongues begin duelling for dominance. Jensen smiles when he wins, even though his lips never leave Jared’s. After several long minutes of amazingly passionate kissing, they pull apart. Jensen rests his head against Jared’s forehead while their breathing slowly calms down. 

Jensen slowly lifts his head and looks at Jared once, before his lips descend to the neck before him. He places kisses, nibbling slightly along the flesh feeling Jared swallow as he soothes it with a swipe of his tongue. He feels Jared’s throat move as he moans from the intense pleasure that he’s feeling at this moment. Jensen loves that he gets to do this, to make the man in front of him feel so much pleasure and desire.

Pulling away reluctantly, he reaches down to take Jared’s hand in his once more and he gently tugs on him and continues the rest of the way to their bedroom where Jensen will continue to ravish the man in front of him in agonisingly slow ways. 

He manoeuvres them through the door and he guides Jared carefully down on to the mattress below after having removed all this clothing between the door way and the bed. The sight of all that glorious tanned skin was facing him, from the soft brown locks, his slanted hazel-green eyes, to his chest and then his gaze lands on the impressive cock curling up towards his stomach. Tearing his gaze away, he finally continues his visual search to the long muscular legs and his feet. Jared truly was a gorgeous looking man and he was all Jensen’s to love and treasure. 

Shedding his own clothes, Jensen climbs on to the bed and settles down beside Jared. He leans over to kiss those tempting lips once more. Their lips slide against one another languidly, their skin heating up as their passions intensifies. Moans and whimpers escape, neither of them knowing who’s making them. Their lips slowly but surely slide apart and start kissing other parts of skin.

Jensen leans down and starts kissing along Jared’s skin, first his neck and then he moves on to his chest. Sucking one cinnamon coloured nipple into his mouth, he lavishes it with attention before moving over and doing the exact same to the other one, smiling into the heated skin as he hears Jared moan. Placing another kiss to each one, he continues his journey of exploring Jared’s body. His lips travel down along the lean abdominal muscles before he circles the bellybutton, flicking his tongue along the edge before diving in, relishing the effect it causes. Jared’s body arches up off the bed. The whimpers continue to fall from his kiss swollen lips. Continuing his journey downwards, he places soft kisses along the line where torso and pelvis meet. 

Jensen can hear how desperately close Jared is to coming by the sound of his breathing, so reaching down only a tiny bit further, he wraps his fingers around the base of Jared’s dick and squeezes just enough to stop his impending orgasm. He chuckles quietly when he hears Jared’s whine of displeasure. 

“I need to come. Please let me, Jensen,” begs Jared, pleading up at Jensen with his eyes.

“Can you hold on for a while longer? I want to be deep inside you when you come so I can feel the muscles of your ass squeezing my dick and making me come inside you. Can you do that for me Jay?” asks Jensen looking up at him from between Jared’s legs, continuing to grip the base of Jared’s cock. 

All Jared can do is nod his head up and down in acceptance, knowing that if he can hold on, Jensen will make the pleasure he will feel that much more intense.

When Jensen sees Jared’s head showing him that he can hold on, he begins placing more soft kisses along Jared’s skin just before licking the cock from the base to the mushroom shaped head in one swipe. He watches it jump from the sensation and he chuckles softly before reaching down once more. He begins to lavish it with attention, using broad swipes of his tongue from base to tip, before circling the head, dipping into the slit and sucking on the vein running along the underneath of the hard column of flesh. 

Moving back up to the top, his tongue is hit with a burst of fresh pre-come and Jensen moans at the taste. He swipes his tongue along the head a few extra times to draw more out and is rewarded when the flavour bursts along his tongue once again. 

Reaching blindly over to the drawer, he pulls it open and starts rummaging around inside to find the item he needs. After a few moments his fingers grasp the item and he pulls it out and grins up at Jared triumphantly, which makes Jared roll his eyes at him over his antics. 

The click of the tube being opened echoes around the room and is the only other sound to be heard apart from their breathing. Jensen looks down at Jared one more time and watches him spread his legs a little further in anticipation of what’s about to happen. He looks up at Jensen before he takes a deep breath, watching Jensen squirt some of the clear gel on to his fingers, spreading it around, making sure each finger is generously covered. 

Bringing his coated fingers down between the cheeks of Jared’s ass, he begins circling the puckered ring and spreading the gel around before gently inserting a finger. He waits a few moments to let Jared get accustomed to the feeling, only pushing in further when the opening relaxes more. He moves his finger in and out continuously, until adding a second a few moments later. He begins scissoring his fingers to stretch the anal muscles so his cock can slide in more smoothly. 

Glancing up at Jared as he continues to prepare him, he gasps as he takes in the soft sheen of sweat on Jared’s skin, which makes his tan seem more honey coloured. His chest is heaving as he takes in more oxygen, as his body is being taken over by so many sensual feelings coursing through his veins. As Jensen continues to watch him, he adds a third finger to the mix, fucking them in and out at a relentless rat. The temperature in their room soars as their passion grows. 

By the time Jensen’s ready to apply lube to his neglected throbbing cock, Jared is undulating on the mattress beneath him, his body fucking down on Jensen’s fingers. His eyes only show a sliver of the colour Jensen loves as the power of arousal takes over his senses. He looks at Jensen with pleading eyes, his gaze asking him to take him now, and who is Jensen to deny him?

Reluctantly, he pulls is fingers free and Jared whines, but he won’t be stopped. Flicking open the tube again, he squirts another generous dollop on to his fingers and spreads it over his throbbing cock. He hisses as the cool lube touches his over heated skin. When he feels that he’s covered it enough, he moves back into position between Jared’s spread legs and places the tip at Jared’s entrance. Holding Jared’s gaze, he pushes in. The muscles expand slowly, causing them both to moan and shudder at the sensation.

Giving Jared adequate time to adjust to the intrusion is the hardest part, but Jensen waits on the precipice of fulfilment at finally being able to go all the way in. He watches Jared for any sign of discomfort and is relieved when Jared nods his head for him to continue, which Jensen does enthusiastically. Thrusting the rest of the way in one movement causes them both to moan loudly. Jared shudders all over at the intensity of the thrust and Jensen has to regain control of his approaching orgasm or it will be over way too soon. 

Jensen pulls back out and stays just inside the rim for a fraction of a second before plunging back in hard, which causes him to moan as the inner muscles squeeze along his cock. He continues this pattern until Jared squeezes him on one of his thrusts inwards, which causes Jensen to moan and quicken up his pace. His pace quickens to a steady rhythm, only altering when he swivels his hips to hit the bundle of nerves deep inside and he knows when he’s hit his mark when Jared arches off the bed, letting out a long moan of absolute satisfaction. 

“Oh God, Jensen! I need to come,” Jared begs his body continuously writhing on the bed as Jensen makes love to him.

“Come now, Jared,” Jensen orders and watches in wrapt attention as Jared arches up once more and freezes. His cock erupts as his orgasm is pulled from him, splattering his stomach and chest with his white, creamy, sticky release. As he continues to come, his inner muscles squeeze Jensen’s cock even tighter, causing him to explode inside his boyfriend. His hips keep thrusting in and out until he’s completely empty. He can feel his arms starting to give so he carefully pulls out and collapses on to the bed beside Jared, their harsh breathing the only sounds echoing around the room. 

For a while they lay there panting, their breathing taking a while to calm down, but once Jensen feels like he can move his legs without falling flat on his ass, he drags himself up and heads to the bathroom. He quickly dampens a cloth to clean up with before bringing it back into the bedroom to gently wipe Jared’s stomach down. Throwing the cloth back in through the bathroom door, he climbs back into bed and lies down on his back. Jared automatically rolls so that he’s resting against him, his head pillowed over Jensen’s beating heart. Lying there, basking in the afterglow, they slowly fall into a restful sleep, wrapped up in each others arms.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. I hope you've enjoyed it.


End file.
